The Clouser pattern is without argument the most popular saltwater fly type used in the UK, and probably the fly most beginners will use. It's designed to be 'top-heavy' and retrieve upside down to keep the hook pointing upward and so be relatively free of snags and weeds.
This version is tied on a wide-gape Kamasan B984 Size #4 hook and start by whipping thread about a third of the way up the shank from the hook eye.
The next step is to whip on a set of dumbell eyes, etc (a blob of glue can be used to give them extra strength).
Between the dumbell eyes and the hook eye tie in a sparse bunch of white bucktail (about twice the length of the hook shank), bending it tightly over the eyes then continue to tie down to the bend in the hook. Bring the thread back up to the hook eye.
Turn the fly over in the vice so that the bucktail is now at the bottom of the fly. This is the fly's normal 'swimming' position with the dumbell eyes under the fly. Now tie in another sparse bunch of bucktail, whipping it tightly just in front of the eyes to pull it up and so help protect the hook and barb from weed, etc. In this example I've used tan bucktail and a mix of back and coloured flash as the upper wing.
The final step is to created a tapered head, whip finish and coat with head varnish. I like to add a coat of epoxy over the entire head area to add a bit of sparkle and extra strength. Below: the almost finished fly...
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